Things Hermione Granger Didn't Learn From A Book
by Stellata
Summary: Something a book can't teach her? Impossible - nay, highly improbable... So who could teach her? Enter one half of our resident prankster team. Now 4th year is turning out to be far more interesting than Hermione had ever thought... Hermione/Fred.
1. Flying

Disclaimer: Sadly not mine. A girl can dream, though...

_Chapter One - Flying_

Fred hopped over the garden gate, landing quietly on the grass. He made his way toward the forest near the house, whistling as he went. The sun was just rising behind the hills to the west of the Burrow. Not even George got up this early in the morning. Fred enjoyed the quiet of the early morning, and stopped whistling as he entered the forest.

He strode eagerly through the trees, following the natural path he had created from years of traversing it. At a large oak, Fred turned and ducked under some branches.

There it was, he thought happily. A stream bubbled happily before him, its clear water sparkling in the faint light from above.

But there, in the grass under his favorite oak, in his favorite thinking spot, was a girl. She lay sleeping on the grass, one arm stretched out, the other curled over her belly.

Bare feet led up to shapely legs, and a dark blue cotton dress with spaghetti straps.

The wood nymph – she was certainly as wild and beautiful as one – slept with a peaceful smile on her face. Her wild brown hair framed her head perfectly. Fred stared at the girl - no, young woman - in astonishment.

How the bloody hell did Hermione Granger find his spot? And why did she always hide those legs under loose robes? It should be illegal to not show off curves like that...

Fred shook his head quickly. This was Hermione Granger, bookworm extraordinaire, and his little brother's best friend, other than Harry Potter – and he most certainly shouldn't be thinking about her this way! She was only fourteen - although, now that he thought about it, Fred remembered Hermione had a September birthday, and would be fifteen in only a month.

Pushing that happy thought from his mind, Fred was surprised his own mind couldn't come up with any more objections to looking at Hermione like that.

Because there she was, just lying there, so relaxed and beautiful in her sleep. All her worries gone and barriers down, just smiling like there was nothing that could please her more than sleeping right there, right then.

Unable to take his eyes off the sleeping girl, Fred quietly sat down on the grass beside her.

For a while he just watched her, and then he grew braver. He reached out carefully and took a few locks of her hair in his hand. It was much softer than anyone would have guessed, and curled just perfectly around his fingers. As Fred played her hair, Hermione stirred slightly.

Fred quickly jumped back, dropping the hair and moving a few feet away.

* * *

She could vaguely sense someone stroking her hair. But it wasn't Ginny, she suddenly thought. She was outside, in the forest, by the stream... Was someone with her?

With a soft moan, Hermione stretched her limbs. Finally, she opened her eyes, and spotted a familiar person only a few feet away.

"Hey Fred," Hermione said happily, inwardly surprised. Had he really been stroking her hair, she wondered? From the way he looked anywhere but her, it seemed likely.

"Hey yourself," he responded. "Sleep well?'"

"Very well. It's quite comfortable out here," Hermione slowly sat up, tucking her knees up to her chest.

"I know," Fred said, finally looking over at her, with an amused expression. "I always come here in the mornings. I'm surprised you managed to find it on your second day here."

"Oh, it's your spot?" Hermione said quickly. "I'm sorry - I didn't -"

"Don't worry," Fred interrupted with a laugh. 'I suppose I've got to learn to share sometime.'

"Yes, that'd be a welcome change," Hermione said solemnly. It was only when she smiled, her white teeth shining brightly, that Fred realized she was teasing him.

"How'd you know I was Fred?" He asked suddenly.

Hermione flushed slightly under his scrutiny.

"Your smile's different," she admitted. "And you have this freckle right next to your right eye, but George doesn't. Oh, and your voice is much different."

Fred stared at her.

"I'm impressed," he said finally. "None of the family, even Mum, can tell us apart."

"I notice things," she said with a shy smile.

"I've noticed," Fred quipped, and glanced back at the stream. "When did you get here?"

"Oh... Last night when the rest of you were playing Quidditch, I went for a walk and found it. This morning I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I came back here and fell asleep again," Hermione said, running her hand through the grass.

Fred nodded in understanding.

"You should really play Quidditch with us sometime."

"No!" Hermione cried. "I mean... no thanks. I don't like heights so much.'"

"That's too bad," Fred said, nodding slowly. "It took me a while to learn to fly – the rest of my siblings took to it much more naturally than me. I was pretty worried for a while because I didn't feel like I had enough control over my broom. But over time, it got easier, and I got a lot more confident – just in time to try out for Beater, and knock the socks off of everyone else."

Hermione nodded, glad that Fred understood how she felt.

"I bet you'd be brilliant at Quidditch if you gave it a chance," Fred said quietly.

"You do?" Shock was evident on her face.

"Yeah," Fred smiled. "With your brains, you'd come up with the best strategies and game plans. I bet you'd be better than Oliver."

Hermione blushed.

"Thanks."

"How many times have you flown?"

"Only a few times in first year. I never learned how to do it properly," Hermione admitted very quietly.

"Hey!" Fred cried suddenly. "I could teach you to fly!"

Hermione gaped at him.

"Helping you overcome your fear and all that... What do you say?"

"I don't know," Hermione sounded very unsure.

Fred clambered to his feet and offered her a hand. After a moment's hesitation, Hermione took it and let him pull her up to stand with him.

"Look, you can ride with me on my Cleansweep," Fred said easily. "We can go as slow as you want. I'll behave - no pranks, I promise. Fly with me... Please?"

His hopeful smile and sparkling eyes undid her.

"All right," Hermione agreed softly. Fred whooped happily.

* * *

Fred brought her to a field after he collected his Cleansweep from the broom shed.

"No one from the house can see us from here," Fred told her. "And none of them will be up for hours yet."

Hermione looked around as Fred continued to speak.

"This is a good place for flying. It's a large, open area - and there's no muggles for several miles."

"What about over there?' Hermione asked with a frown as she pointed to a cottage a few hills over.

"Oh, the Lovegoods live there. A wizard and his daughter, who's in Ginny's year, Ravenclaw, I think. They were best friends growing up," Fred reported. "There's a few other wizarding families nearby - the Diggorys and the Fawcetts and some new folk... I don't remember their names."

Fred sat on his broomstick, and beckoned to Hermione.

"Just hop on," Fred smiled. "I'll be right behind you."

Trembling, Hermione swung a leg over the broom and gripped the handle tightly in both hands. Fred reached a hand around her and put it gently on her hands.

"Just relax," Fred said gently. "A broomstick does what you want - and if you don't really want to fly, it won't." He scooted up on the broomstick, his chest against her back. His hands moved to hold her waist firmly, and Hermione tried to suppress a shiver.

Fred grinned silently as he pressed up against her, feeling her shiver. He knew it wasn't because of the cold, indeed, she was very warm. From here, he could properly smell her hair – she smelled like cinnamon and lilies.

Would she taste as good as she smells? Fred wondered silently, and fought the urge to kiss his way across her neck.

"Don't you want to fly?" He asked her, his lips by her neck.

His rough voice sent shivers down her spine, and his hot breath on her neck made her whole body grow warm. Trying to ignore the strange feelings he inspired in her, Hermione stood up straight, loosened her grip on the broom handle, and kicked off, willing the broom to fly. They shot off of the ground, rising quickly, and Fred held her even closer, it that was possible.

When Hermione looked down, the ground seemed very far away. She gasped and tensed up, closing her eyes in fright.

"Hey," Fred said soothingly. "You're not going to fall. I promise."

She opened her eyes and looked ahead.

You can do this, Hermione told herself. Fred's right here, so what do you have to be scared of? She started off slowly, making large, controlled circles in the air, her confidence rising with each lap she made.

Leaning forward, Hermione accelerated over the trees. Faster and faster, they climbed up hundreds of feet into the sky before dropping slowly.

"This is fun," Hermione cried, and was rewarded with a deep laugh from Fred.

"Good! You're doing great," he responded, his mouth right by her ear. Hermione blushed from the compliment and his closeness to her, and was glad he couldn't see her reaction.

When she felt she had learned the basics, Hermione was ready to try something new. Without any hesitation or fear, she turned sharply downwards into a dive.

It gave her a thrill to fall almost to the ground, turning back up ten feet before impact.

"Hermione," Fred gasped. "Be careful!"

"I am," she giggled, and dived again, full of exhilaration, all fear erased from her mind. Fred had been right - flying was amazing. Up here, with the wind blowing in her face, Hermione felt completely free.

This time, she sped up as she flew almost straight downwards, and was rewarded by Fred grasping her waist more tightly in his hands.

"Hermione! Pull up!"

Only a few feet from the ground, Hermione jerked the broom upwards. They jolted back up a bit, avoiding the ground by only a foot, and Hermione laughed giddily.

But then, suddenly, the old broomstick turned unexpectedly to the side, and they both went tumbling off. They had only been a few feet from the ground, so it didn't hurt much, but they were sent rolling down a hill.

Hermione had turned to face Fred somehow, and he curled his arms around her protectively as she buried her face in his chest and they rolled down the grass.

When they finally lost their momentum, they lay, breathing hard and laughing, in a patch of flowers.

Fred was winded and amazed. The studious bookworm had a wild side. Not even he had ever tried a dive as daring as the one she had made.

He suddenly stopped laughing when he realized that she was lying on top of him.

She looks so beautiful when she laughs, Fred thought in wonder, and then their eyes met.

Hermione stopped laughing as she realized she was lying on top of Fred.

"Oops," she giggled, and he grinned up at her.

Maybe it was the shock of the fall, or the adrenaline from flying. Maybe it was the intensity of his gaze, or the way his arms felt around her.

Hermione leaned forward and brushed her lips to his.

Fred didn't hesitate to kiss her back, reveling in the softness of her lips. He slipped a hand up to caress her cheek as he tasted her thoroughly. None of his dreams of kissing Hermione had done her justice, Fred thought as he explored the depths of her mouth.

Hermione gasped into his mouth as she responded fervently to his ministrations. She had always expected her first kiss to be something chaste and delicate - this was nothing but that. Fred Weasley was passionate about everything he did, and Hermione was incredibly grateful for it. She could feel the heat between them, felt her body heating up in ways it never had before, and felt simultaneously weak and strong in his arms.

He knew if he didn't stop he wouldn't be able to breathe, but in all honesty, that was the least of his worries at the moment. She solved his dilemma when she was the one to pull away, albeit reluctantly.

They both took deep breaths, gazing into each other's eyes. She stared down at him, her eyes dark and her cheeks flushed.

Fred grinned wickedly and flipped them over, pinning Hermione beneath him on the grass. She gasped, her lips forming a delightful little 'o.'

Not able to resist her soft little mouth, Fred kissed her roughly, enjoying the way their tongues clashed together. She clung to his shirt and pressed herself up against him, making him growl and bite her lip gently before reclaiming her mouth.

When they separated some time later, he held her hand firmly in his, and looked over at her in silent wonder. Hermione's hair was even messier than usual, and her lips were swollen from his kisses.

"I love flying with you," she said breathlessly.

"And kissing?" Fred added hopefully.

"I meant both, you silly," she giggled.

Suddenly, worry flitted across her face.

Fred quickly slipped a finger onto her lips, knowing what was coming.

"No thinking," he told her softly. "Hermione, you're beautiful, kind, intelligent - and a bloody good kisser at that. I have one question for you, and all you have to say is yes or no.'

Hermione stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Fred asked her quietly. "You'd have to put up with my pranks, and I'd have to drag you away from your books sometimes, but we could go flying together and go on picnics and just talk – huh?" She had said something, but he hadn't heard her.

"I already said yes," Hermione smiled brilliantly. "Now hush. I haven't finished with you yet."

She pulled him fiercely to her and resumed snogging Fred Weasley.


	2. Running

Disclaimer: Sadly not mine. A girl can dream, though...

_Interlude: My World is Corkscrewing Around, by Fred Weasley_.

I am screwed. Totally and utterly screwed.

So I'm at the Quidditch World Cup, right? The Bulgarians brought Veela as their mascots. That's right, Veela, the part-woman, part-bird creatures that all straight men and not-so-straight women are attracted to. They're supposed to be gorgeous, and my brothers are certainly proving their attraction, with the way they're staring down at the Veela. Percy is sticking out his chest in a funny way as he smoothes back his hair, and Ron just looks ridiculous with his goggly eyes.

So why am I screwed? Because I'm not attracted to the Veela. I mean, okay, they're pretty, I guess, but I just don't feel the pull that my brothers do.

Dad is looking at me in a funny way as he plugs his ears from the singing. I shrug at him and turn to Hermione, who is looking at me with a bit of confusion, hope, and curiosity.

I just grin at her.

"You're so much more beautiful than them, Hermione." It's the truth. Those Veela pale in comparison to my girl. She decides that comment earned a kiss, and I can't object.

We finally stop when my dad taps me on the shoulder.

He looks amused, and – proud?

"It's usually only married men who can resist the Veela," he whispers. "She must be pretty special to you."

He's right. After three weeks of dating Hermione Granger, I know just how special she is.

I'm falling for her fast. And that's why I'm screwed.

* * *

"That's leprechaun gold!"

I glanced at Hermione in surprise. George froze, stopping right before he could accept our bet winnings from Ludo Bagman.

"What?" Ludo looked shaken. "No – no it isn't! That's preposterous!"

"I can tell!" Hermione said angrily. "You're trying to cheat them!"

My dad and the Minister were both looking at Ludo, very surprised. Ludo flushed heavily, and fished in his pockets.

"I didn't mean to," he protested as he reluctantly handed over real gold to us.

"Uh huh," Hermione glared at him as she held my hand.

Sure, I glowered at Bagman until Hermione dragged me away, but I wasn't all that upset. We got our money in the end, thanks to my girlfriend, and that's what mattered. I love seeing her boss people around... Does that make me weird?

Anyhow, we arrived back at the tent and all sat around together. Had a few butterbeers, held onto Hermione, ignored knowing glances from older brothers – you know, the usual.

Not a bad day. Not at all.

* * *

Four hours later, everything went to hell.

I found myself running toward the woods, clutching Hermione's hand – I knew had to get her away from the Death Eaters. That's right, Death Eaters, out for a bit of midnight fun, the bastards. I shuddered as I remembered the muggles that were hanging by magic high in the air, moving about however their cruel captors wanted.

George and Ginny were ahead of us and Ron and Harry were behind us. Soon enough, we were inside the forest – and then Ron tripped over a tree root.

He swore, and so did I, because George and Ginny had gotten farther ahead while we paused. My twin and my only sister disappeared into the trees, and I couldn't see them.

As if that weren't enough, there was Draco Malfoy. The pompous git looked totally relaxed, unperturbed by the events back at the campsite.

Ron swore quite colorfully, but Malfoy took it in stride.

"Language, Weasley. Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like _her_ to be spotted, would you?"

My blood boiled. He had spoken right to my greatest fear – that they would find Hermione, and do to her what they did to those poor muggles...

"You know what they say. Mudbloods - ahh!"

Malfoy was on the ground, clutching his face and crying like a little girl.

Oh. I think that might've been me.

Well, good!

"Fred!" Hermione was shocked as I kicked him viciously. His pale face was bleeding, and he held an arm up to stop me.

"If you ever talk to Hermione that way again, I'll beat you to a pulp." I meant every word.

He nodded furiously, raised himself off the ground hurriedly, and ran off into the woods.

"I've lost my wand!" Ron said suddenly, as he looked through his pockets.

"Bloody hell," Hermione said angrily. "How could this get any worse? Lumos."

I did the same spell, but we couldn't see the wand. In her hurry, Hermione walked back to the edge of the forest.

"There it is!" she hissed, pointing ten yards away. She darted out to get it, and I followed her, clutching my wand tightly.

She made it to the wand and picked it up quickly. I felt a dash of relief as I crouched behind an abandoned tent, a few feet away from her, and then -

"Well, well. If it isn't that bushy haired Mudblood -"

"Stupefy!" I growled, and the surprised Death Eater fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!" Hermione said helpfully, and our prisoner was instantly petrified and bound in tight ropes.

"We got him," I said in surprise. "Let's take him with – shh!"

A few more hooded Death Eaters were prowling toward us.

"What happened to Gibbon?" I heard a cold voice say.

"I think he went that way," a second man said slowly.

We knew we only had a few moments before they would see us. I looked at Hermione, and she nodded. Somehow I knew what she was thinking.

They were almost upon us when we struck.

"Stupefy!" Hermione's spell knocked the first one out like a light, but the other one dodged my curse.

He snarled, and my wand was flying out of my hand before I could blink.

"Stupefy!" Hermione tried again, more desperate, as we dodged behind another tent. He threw up a shield and blasted the tent away.

I glanced over Hermione quickly; we were both unharmed – but she had lost her wand.

"Children don't know when it's not a game," he said mockingly.

A chill went up my spine, but I stood up straight.

"Really? This isn't a game?" I asked innocently. "Never would've guessed."

It was amazing how villains are always thrown off by even the tiniest bit of repartee. I grabbed Hermione's wand and pulled her to the ground with me, effectively dodging two reducto curses.

I fired off the first hex I could think of.

He went flying into the air, turned upside down, and lost his trousers. He cursed colorfully, and reached around to aim his wand at us. I came to my senses.

"Stupefy! Incarcerous, incarcerous." I remembered to bind the two Death Eaters.

"Fred." The danger gone, Hermione grabbed my arm and pulled me to her forcefully. "Are you all - "

I cut her off with my lips. Bloody hell, that fight gave me a rush, and I wanted to prolong it with her sweet kisses for as long as possible.

"Ahem."

I refused to stop for at least another ten seconds. Finally we broke apart and saw Harry and Ron standing near us.

"You got three of them," Ron stated in shocked awe.

"Yeah," I puffed out my chest a little. "We're pretty good, aren't we?"

My girlfriend rolled her sparkling brown eyes, but I knew she was just as thrilled as I was.

"Maybe..." Harry looked around. "We should get in a tent until help comes."

His idea was decent, so we found a tent that wasn't actually ruined, shoved the bound bodies into it, and joined them. We waited there, making light conversation, for another half-hour. At last the screams stopped, and we assumed the Ministry had scared off the rest of the Death Eaters, and it was now safe.

We came out of the tent just in time to catch Dad and Amos Diggory walking by.

"What are you doing here?" Dad asked worriedly. "I told you to -"

"We caught some, Mr. Weasley!" Hermione said eagerly.

"Some what?" Dad asked curiously.

"Death Eaters. In the tent," I grinned at him.

"Stunned, petrified, and bound," Hermione continued.

"You two caught Death Eaters?" Amos Diggory said in shock.

"I believe that's what my son said," Dad said proudly, and I stood up a bit taller. This night was pretty good after all.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up before dawn, still exhausted, but all right. We left in a hurry, catching an old tire portkey back to Stoatshead Hill. After a long walk, we arrived back at home.

"Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!" It was mum, running at us with outstretched arms. Her eyes were red, her dress rumpled, and the newspaper in her hand appeared to be rather ratty, although it was this morning's edition. "Arthur, I was so worried!"

She dropped the newspaper as she went to squeeze the life out of Dad. Hermione picked up the paper, and we crowded around to look at the headlines.

SCENES OF TERROR AT QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP - THREE DEATH EATERS APPREHENDED: RICHARD YAXLEY, RUPERT GIBBON, ALOYSIUS JUGSON.

"You're all right – you're alive..." Mum was practically sobbing. "Oh boys!" She grabbed George and Ron tightly in her arms, clutching them to her as they tried to escape.

"Ouch – mum, you're strangling us!" George managed to say.

"Oh, I'm just so relieved to see you all again... What if You-Know-Who had gotten one of you? It's all I've been thinking about... Oh, Ginny! Oh, Ron!"

"Come on now, Molly, we're perfectly all right," Dad said soothingly, and gently pressed Mum toward the house. As we made our way inside, Hermione read the article aloud. We all listened intently to the story.

_Ministry blunders... Teenagers capture Death Eaters... Lax security... Fred Weasley and Hermione Granger... Trials for Death Eaters..._

"We're in the paper," Hermione said breathily, and I squeezed her tightly as she sat down on my lap.

"Bloody hell, you two," George said, shaking his head and smiling in disbelief.

"Don't swear, dear," Mum said automatically.

I couldn't stop grinning.

* * *

The rest of the day was hectic. Dad and Percy hurried straight to the Ministry to see what they could do to help out. Mum made a very large breakfast, and then we all hung out around the house. I didn't have any homework for the summer (I'm starting NEWT level coursework this year, and haven't chosen my classes yet), so I played with Hermione's hair while she did her Charms essay(she went four pages over the maximum, naturally).

But this afternoon, Hermione made up her mind about something. She went to Harry and Ron, with George and I in tow, and declared that she was going to tell us what happened at the end of last year. I was curious, of course – everybody had wondered exactly what had happened with Sirius Black.

Nothing could have shocked me more than finding out he was innocent of all the crimes he had been imprisoned for. I cringed when I heard that Peter Pettigrew, the traitor who framed Sirius Black, had been hiding out at the Burrow for the last twelve years – right under our noses.

Of course, I couldn't be prouder of my girlfriend. She used a Time Turner to save Sirius from being Kissed by the Dementors, and saved Buckbeak the hippogriff at the same time. When that fabulous tale of adventure was done, Hermione, Harry, and Ron slowly began pouring out the rest of their last three years at Hogwarts. George and I sat quietly and listened hard. We learned the truth about Quirrell and the Philosopher's Stone, what really happened in the Chamber of Secrets. We listened with dread when they revealed that You-Know-Who – oh, hell, I can write it, can't I? - _Voldemort_ wasn't really dead.

"Promise not to tell a soul, Fred?" Hermione asked me hopefully.

"We're Weasleys," George began.

"We keep secrets -"

"Especially ones -"

"As important as this," I finished. "I promise."

"I knew I could trust you." She looked up at me with such warm brown eyes, that everything in the world seemed right.

* * *

Later that afternoon I was cornered by Ron and Harry. I knew immediately what it was about. It was the _talk_. It had been coming for a while. I was actually surprised that they had waited three weeks to do it.

"Hermione's one of my best friends," Harry said calmly.

"And one of mine," Ron continued.

"So you better take good care of her," Harry warned, his green eyes flashing.

"Or else!"

"I swear, guys," I said quietly. "I will never hurt her intentionally. I – I really care about her."

Ron's glare finally died down, and Harry nodded in acceptance.

"Just remember that," my little brother said, and left the room. Harry stood there for another moment.

"I think you two are good together," he said seriously.

"So I do, Harry, so do I." As he walked off, I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't wanted to ruin their thunder by telling them they were simply not intimidating in any way, shape or form. I need to show them that despite my teasing, I actually do respect them, and I appreciate that they both want me to 'do right' by Hermione.

* * *

That evening we were in my room – Hermione, George and I. Guess what we were doing? Coming up with joke products.

Hermione has been a great help with our 'work.' She figured out the perfect layout for our order forms, and hid them in her trunk, so if Mum searched ours, she wouldn't find them. In addition to helping with organization, she is amazing with spells and potions. Even though she's only had three years of magical training, she knows a lot more about some things than George and I put together.

George or I will inevitably make a comment regarding a spell, and wonder aloud if there was a better way to tweak it by adding another spell, or altering a potion ingredient... Hermione will pretend not to listen, then suddenly give in to her curiosity and state the solution out loud. Every time she does this, she blushes, and I give her a kiss or a hug in thanks. Tonight, we finished the last version of one of our new products: canary creams, candies that when eaten turn the consumer into a large canary.

Although it may seem that she's the one helping us with our products, George privately agrees with me that its a two way street. We've encouraged her to use her creativity and ingenuity rather than just sticking 'by the rules' all the time. She loves her schoolwork, and I have no doubt that she will continue to abide by the rules when she's back in class at Hogwarts, but I'm glad she's more relaxed these days.

* * *

When Dad and Percy got home that night, dinner was ready.

"Fred, Hermione, I have news for you," Dad announced as he hung up his coat. "The Ministry's decided to give you both a reward for capturing the Death Eaters."

"How much?" George asked eagerly. I tried not to roll my eyes at him. I knew that he knew I would be sharing every galleon with him by investing it in our joke shop plans.

"One hundred and fifty galleons each."

Ron's jaw dropped. Bill and Charlie whistled.

Mum gasped loudly and knocked over the water pitcher.

I whooped with delight before leaning over to kiss Hermione firmly on the lips. She grinned at me disarmingly, and squeezed my hand under the table.

"It is quite a bit of money," Dad said with a smile, "But the Ministry knew it was worth it. Three Death Eaters, behind bars..."

"What else did they pin on them?" Percy asked, leaning towards Dad conspiratorially.

"Not much. Their marks showed they were definitely Death Eaters, but they refused truth serum."

"You can refuse it?" Hermione asked in shock.

"It's an old law," Dad stared down at his potatoes. "Purebloods can refuse it. Without knowledge of their specific crimes, they couldn't be Kissed. Luckily bearing the mark is still enough to give them life in Azkaban."

"Without using serum, they're not going to give up names of other Death Eaters," Percy sounded utterly serious. "It's a serious miscarriage of justice. The Ministry has these fantastic sources of information in their hands, and refuses to use it."

"Pureblood privilege," Mum glanced at Hermione. "Half-bloods and muggle-borns can't refuse truth serum in court."

"That's ridiculous!" Ron burst out, looking indignantly at Hermione.

The table was quiet for a few minutes.

"Fred, Hermione - you'll need to watch out at Hogwarts," Dad said suddenly. "The children of the men you captured will surely bear grudges. It's easy to be blind to the truth when you're hurting. No matter how terrible those three men are, they were important to their families."

"Robert Yaxley will be the worst," said George.

"He'll be a seventh year Slytherin," I told Hermione, who was frowning. "Nasty bloke. Caught him two years ago bullies some first year Ravenclaws – never stopped pranking him since."

For once Mum didn't comment.

"Trevor Yaxley will be a third year." George begins.

"He's a quiet Slytherin -" I add.

"Not a bully like his brother -" George continues.

"But you know what they say -" I smile.

"It's always the quiet ones," Hermione finishes. Merlin, I love it when she joins in.

"There's that bloke Gibbon in Ravenclaw," Ron points out, waving a piece of cauliflower in the air.

"He's not bad," Charlie says with a frown. "Drew, right? He'd be a seventh year. I used to tutor him in Herbology."

"He has a sister in my year, also Ravenclaw," Ginny contributes at last. "Rita Gibbon. She's really friendly, we're partners in Potions."

"Be very careful around her," Dad frowns at Ginny. "You might want a new partner."

As the others try to remember if Jugson had any kids at Hogwarts, I glance at Ginny. She's sunk back into her chair, quiet again. I hope that Dad's wrong. I don't want my sister to lose her friend.

Slowly we transition back into talk of next year's courses.

Everybody is delighted that Hermione has lightened her course load. Without divination and muggle studies, she'll only have three electives: Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures. It's good to know she won't be the exhausted shell that she was last year. Not for the first time, I mentally kick myself in the shins. Ouch. I never paid her enough attention last year, and she suffered for it. That will change this year, I swear it. I'm going to take good care of her (while giving her some space, I don't want her to be overwhelmed).

* * *

A week's gone by since the World Cup, and we leave for Hogwarts tomorrow. I'll be having a light load this year, because I only got OWLs in Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense against the Dark Arts – and can only take those classes.

The moment I got the letter, Hermione ran over and read it quickly while I watched nervously, waiting for her reaction. She was silent for a moment, and then...

"Oh, Fred, that's wonderful! Three Outstandings!" I grinned and hugged her tightly. I should have known that she wouldn't care that I only got three OWLs.

Of course, then Mum had to come in and read the letter.

"Only three OWLs! Percy got twelve!"

"Don't bring me into this, mum -" Percy began, turning crimson.

"Who cares?" Hermione said defiantly. "Fred did very well in the subjects he's best at. Everyone has different talents – and nobody can make people laugh like my Fred – well, you too, George. They'll both go far in life, so leave them alone, Molly."

Mum was simply stunned. She had expected support from such a studious student, but didn't receive it. Instead, my girlfriend defended me loyally.

"Let's go celebrate your O's," Hermione went on. Uh-oh. It's that mischievous spark in her eye again. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me outside. I was a little shocked, but happily so, when she pushed me against the wall and began snogging me.

Kissing Hermione would never get old, I was sure of it. There was something new about her every time, but her taste remained sweet, familiar, and tantalizing. I loved it when she took charge like she did now – Hermione was an aggressive little witch when she wanted to be.

When she pulled away, I was grinning like a fool.

This girl makes my world turn in circles, making me dizzier and dizzier each day – and I don't care one jot.


	3. Kissing

Disclaimer: Sadly not mine. A girl can dream, though...

_Hogwarts at Last, by George Weasley_

"Take care of yourself, my dear," Mum said as she hugged Hermione. "And of Fred, of course. Merlin knows what he'd do without you."

The two stubborn women had managed to make up after their argument a few days before. It had taken a bit of convincing on Dad's part, but he had convinced Mum that a girl who would defend her son was worth keeping around.

"I will, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said softly.

"And you!" Mum shook her head as she pulled Fred and I in close. She gave me a peck on the cheek, then leaned to whisper in Fred's ear. "Be good to her, son. She's a keeper."

"I know," Fred answered quietly, flushing despite looking grateful. "I'll do my best."

"You know, everyone will be able to tell us apart now," I said suddenly. "Hermione's always with you – they'll know you're Fred."

"As long as I'm Hermione's Fred, I'm okay with it. I want everyone to know you're mine," Fred told Hermione as he leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Any crackers to go with that cheese?" I rolled my eyes pointedly.

"Too much kissing," groaned Ron.

* * *

The train ride wasn't especially exciting. I grabbed a compartment with Fred, Hermione, Harry, and Ron claimed a compartment. Later on we were joined by Lee and Neville.

Ron spent most of the trip whining about his dress robes, until Hermione took pity on him and began casting charms on the dreadful robes. She lengthened it until they fit him, vanished the lace and old fashioned buttons, and even turned the maroon into a darker, purplish sort of color.

"That's great, 'Mione," Ron said happily. "Thanks!"

Fred and I spent over an hour going over the various clues our family had been dropping for the last few days. Apparently something was going to happen at Hogwarts, something that Charlie would be showing up for, something big...

"If Charlie's going to be here..." Harry pondered.

"They're bringing dragons to Hogwarts!" Ron cried excitedly.

Neville paled, and Hermione laughed.

"Yeah, that's bloody likely," I snorted. My little brother has the most ridiculous ideas sometimes. We reminisced for a while on the Quidditch Cup. Lee and Neville were excited to have a first hand account of the duel my twin and his girlfriend had with three Death Eaters.

"We saw Krum right up close, as well," Ron told Neville happily while Lee interrogated Fred, "We were in the Top Box -"

"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley."

Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway with his trademark smirk.

"Didn't learn your lesson the first time, Malfoy?" Fred growled. "Leave. Before I make you." He stood just as I did. I scowled at the blond twit, wishing, not for the first time, that he would be swallowed up by the earth.

Paling, Malfoy tried to sneer, and flounced off with his thick bodyguards in tow.

"I just don't why he's so nasty all the time," Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"No one knows the nature of people like Malfoy," Fred shrugged. "Although really, it's either mental problems or a bad upbringing..."

"With him, probably both," I added.

The train eventually reached Hogsmeade. We left the train and ran to the carriages, trying to escape the pouring rain. As soon as we got into the carriage, Hermione cast drying charms on everybody while Fred and I took care of warming charms.

I peered out through the window as we left Hogsmeade. Even in the rain, Hogwarts castle was magnificent.

"This is going to be an interesting year," Fred said calmly, smiling at Hermione.

I certainly hoped so.

* * *

So, best and worse news of the year. After the Sorting and the Feast, Dumbledore made his usual start of the year announcements.

Firstly, there is no Quidditch this year, which sucks. We have a new Defense Professor, Mad-Eye Moody – which may be cool, and may be not – he's rumored to be crazy.

Then we hear that the infamous Triwizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts this year. Sweet, right? A challenge that tests your magic to the limit, and if won, earns you a thousand galleons and eternal glory?

But you need to be seventeen to enter. And my birthday's not until April 1st.

"It's not fair," Fred said stormily when we were back in the Common Room.

"I know," I responded, falling back onto the couch.

"Well, at least you won't be in danger," Hermione stated.

"You don't understand," Fred groaned. "We Weasleys live for danger."

"We eat it for breakfast," I chimed in, and grinned at my twin. We hadn't lost it.

"And lunch!"

"And tea -"

"And dinner -"

"And dessert!" Ron cried happily as he shoved a chocolate frog in his mouth.

"Especially dessert! Look out, Hermione, that frog's filled with danger!" Fred warned her, and took a large bite from the chocolate frog in her hand before she could stop him.

"Fred!" she tried to scold him, but her smile showed her heart wasn't in it. I marveled at how utterly they were wrapped around each other's fingers.

"I have to protect my lady love," Fred told her, trying to be gallant. "Oh no! Not another bite!" Hermione tried to maneuver it away from me, and just succeeded in putting it on her lips before I caught it.

The battle for the frog commenced. I just smiled, as I always did, then glanced around. Slowly, everyone in the Common Room turned to stare at Fred and Hermione. Lavender Brown, Hermione's excessively girly (although pretty) roommate, had the widest eyes, whereas Parvati Patil certainly won for widest jaw.

Harry had picked up Quidditch Through the Ages, and was rereading it _again_. Merlin, doesn't he know it by heart already? Ron challenged me to a game of chess, which I gamely accepted..

"Hello there," I heard Fred announce pleasantly. "Good dinner, wasn't it?"

The rest of the room was still silent.

"The chocolate's the best, isn't it, Fred?" Hermione offered cheerfully.

"Very," Fred said as seductively as he could manage (not very well, I assure you).

"When did _this_ happen?" Angelina Johnson said in a teasing tone.

"Twenty nine and a half days ago," Fred responded promptly. I glanced up from moving my knight, and saw that most of the girls in the room had gone doe-eyed.

"He remembers _exactly_," Parvati whispered happily.

"How romantic," Lavender sighed.

Hermione just smiled and began another chocolate war with my twin.

I went back to my chess game and managed to lose spectacularly to Ron. Not again!

* * *

I always thought that Remus Lupin was the best Defense Professor I'd ever had. But now, after having the Unforgivables demonstrated in class, I've decided that Mad-Eye Moody is the best Professor I've ever had.

"It was the best lesson ever," Fred groaned as we sat down at the lunch table.

"What did you learn?" Hermione's eyes lit up as she brushed a kiss across my cheek.

"Oh, I don't want to spoil the surprise. He's giving years four and above the same lessons for a few months, making sure we're all caught up..."

"Please tell me." It's ridiculous how cute she looks when she's pouting.

"I will not back down so easily, milady!"

"Not even if I promise you a fair reward, my knight?"

Wait a minute. Did Hermione just... purr?

"Er – I -" Fred stammered.

"Wow, Hermione, I'm impressed. I don't think I've ever shut him up that easily," Angelina giggled.

"I'll have you know I can shut her up just as well! Watch!"

I go back to my food while Fred proves his point to an all-too-willing victim.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for such revolting behavior."

Snape. Of course. He has wrenched the lovebirds apart, and is grinning at Fred sadistically. I really hate that man.

"Excuse me, Professor, but school policy 438 section b says that kissing is allowed in public as long as hands do not stray to erogenous zones such as the -"

"Hermione!" Ron halts her, quite scandalized.

"Well, you get the point, Professor," she smiles innocently. "Kissing is not against the rules. Kindly reverse the points, or I shall take it up with Professor McGonagall."

"Fine," he snaps, and whirls out of the hall. There is a moment of shock, then I break the silence.

"I love you," I groan, fluttering my eyelashes dramatically at Hermione.

"And I," Lee added.

"I love you the most," Ginny added, giggling and looking awed at the same time.

"Have you memorized all the rules?" Neville asked Hermione.

"Of course not," Hermione stated primly. "But I knew he hadn't either, and he wouldn't want to appear stupid."

Everybody else looked shocked, but Fred and I just smirked. People rarely thought that she would use her intelligence for devious means, but after weeks of prank-making with Hermione, we knew she could be plenty cunning when she wanted to be.

* * *

I used to be terrified of Fred dating girls. Terrified that he would spend more time with them. Terrified that he would forget about me. That we would lose the bond we had. But a month has gone by and none of that has happened. We still finish each other's sentences. We still have inside jokes that Hermione will never know. We still spend time by ourselves, working on our joke products or just telling the lewdest stories we know.

Having two boys as her best friends has given Hermione an open mind. She never seems to mind when I join them. She's always willing to talk with me. Sometimes we even play checkers (a game she brought from home) together, just the two of us. She's amazingly easy to talk to.

I can't resent her any more than I can resent the sun from shining. It seems to natural to have her in my life. Well, she warms us all, but we know she's really Fred's little ray of sunshine.

It's about time I found some sunshine for myself.

* * *

Our first weekend at Hogwarts was our second worst ever (nothing could top thinking that Ginny was dead, killed by a mysterious monster in the Chamber of Secrets two years ago).

We relaxed in the morning. Hogsmeade weekends were only every other weekend for third through sixth years. Only those of age (not me, alas) could escape every weekend.

So we took a walk on the grounds. Bright, warm day, birds singing (well, not literally), and we were skipping along. Fred and Lee were by my side as always. Hermione held my twin's hand, and Ron and Harry loped along behind her. Ginny and her friend Luna, an old friend of hers, were some ways behind us.

We weren't expecting an ambush. For once, I forget to always expect the unexpected.

Someone hit Hermione immediately with a boiling hex. We all panicked and grabbed our wands. We were each hit with at least one spell before we could retaliate. These kids weren't using tickling hexes. Merlin.

Why did curses have to be so damn flashy? I wondered, squinting as I dodged a bright red one.

It was Robert Yaxley, of course, I saw. His cronies were Slytherins as well, seven of them, every one of them taller and bulkier than me, and I'm the tallest on our side.

I knew what his father had done by becoming a Death Eater. I knew he had done terrible things. I had listened at Mum and Dad's bedroom door every February 20th as a child. I had heard Mum sobbing, remembering the anniversary of her brothers' massacre. I'd heard descriptions that she never had wanted me to hear, but accidentally told me anyways, descriptions of violence and blood and gore that no child should know.

Robert Yaxley's father was in prison where he belonged.

Robert had been given the chance to be his own person, free of his father's influence. He had the choice to reject his father and to stand up for good, generosity, kindness, and justice. But he had chosen to be here, attacking us, hurting us.

I'd never been angrier in my life. I was roaring spells I'd never cast before, only seen in advanced Defense textbooks... I managed to conjure a stone wall, about four feet high. It gave us a defensive cover.

Hermione was down, and Fred was healing her, pain evident on his face as he clutched his bleeding leg. Ron and Ginny had both collapsed. Harry stood over his friend, fighting back desperately. He'd never lost yet, and I wondered if he would fall.

The smallest of our group was completely unhurt. Luna Lovegood was shooting off spells left and right. Her long blonde hair hung about her face, hiding her eyes and making her look rather – terrifying. She spoke softly, so people couldn't counter her curses. She was positively lethal. I'd taken one of the Slytherins out for the count, she'd gotten two.

That meant there were five opponents left, including Yaxley, who were fighting Harry, Luna, and I. Despite the odds, we would stand our ground. We would not run. We would defeat them, I thought to myself.

We would – _oh Merlin..._

* * *

_We found them by the Quidditch field. Five seventh year and three sixth year Slytherin boys were on the ground, cursed badly, bound, and unconscious. Malcolm Bradley had to be sent to St. Mungos, his injuries were so bad. Robert Yaxley's mouth had been cursed off, and followed Bradley to the hospital, for none of us could fix it._

_Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, George Weasley, Fred Weasley. and Harry Potter were being tended to by Luna Lovegood. The other Professors and I were still running to the scene as Luna began to heal them. They were all fine a few hours later, although George lost quite a bit of blood to a slicing hex that hit his chest._

_Luna calmly told us the story in the infirmary, with the aid of Harry and Fred, who were the first to wake up and recover. Their story was amazing, but the simple truth: two sixth years, three fourth years, and two third years had soundly defeated their older, stronger, attackers. _

_We voted on what punishment to give them. Severus naturally tried to let his students off easy, but we weren't having any of it. With the coldest eyes I'd ever seen, Albus declared that the eight students involved in the attack were banned from Hogsmeade,and eight hundred points were taken from their House. When the students were all conscious, Albus said that truth serum would be used, and suspension of expulsion was in the realm of possibility for the leaders of the attack._

_McGonagall looked proudly at her Gryffindors. She gave them points for fighting back as well as they did. Twenty each, which raised the Gryffindor coffers by a hundred and twenty total._

_I took Luna out of the infirmary and led her to my office._

_"Miss Lovegood, I have never been prouder of a student." I knew my voice was squeaking, as it did when I felt emotional. "Defending your friends, and with such skill, is highly commendable. Firstly, fifty points to Ravenclaw. Secondly, I have never seen someone with such dueling promise in all my seventy six years. I would be glad to teach you how to duel in my spare time."_

_She accepted happily and reached forward to hug me. I would allow it, for her. _

_"I would be glad to learn from you, Professor Flitwick. As long as you will teach me how to tame the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. That is my one goal for this year."_

_I nodded dumbly. This girl was certainly... well... something!_


	4. Dueling

Disclaimer: Sadly not mine. A girl can dream, though...

_Chapter Four_

"And I suppose you think being injured gives you the right to skip my class? To not learn what you need to learn!" Their teacher snarled down at them.

Hermione looked utterly shocked, Ron confused, and Harry wore a mask of righteous fury.

Mad-Eye Moody's fake eye swirled around a few times. Suddenly he burst out laughing.

"I know well of the tyrannical rule Poppy Pomfrey has over her Hospital Wing. No one can escape her! Tell me how it was."

"The Hospital Wing?" Ron asked, bemused. "Well, I was kinda nauseous when - "

"No, the duel!" Moody shouted impatiently.

"Satisfying."

Moody looked at Harry.

"Satisfying, eh?"

"We beat 'em," Harry said simply.

"Who were the last ones standing?"

"Harry and Luna," Hermione piped up. "I was one of the first to be knocked out," she admitted.

Moody glanced from one student to the other.

"Well, ye'll learn. Last class we learned the Unforgivables. Today we'll be dueling for real!" He flicked his wand, which was suddenly in his hand, and all the desks swept to the side of the room.

Lavender Brown, who had been sitting on one, fell with an undignified oomph onto the floor. Ron hurried to help her up, frowning at Moody.

"Divide by sex." Moody announced.

Parvati tittered.

"Gender, Miss Patil, gender!" Moody roared. "Lads versus lasses! Pick a side!"

Hermione scurried to the row of desks on the left and pushed a few away from the wall. She transfigured two into walls, and two others into dogs. Lavender and Parvati gasped and followed her behind the wall.

"But we outnumber them five to three," Harry was protesting. "Thats hardly fair -"

"Begin!" Moody barked.

The two dogs leapt across the classroom and towards the boys. Seamus and Dean cursed in annoyance as the conjured canines leapt for their robes.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry cast the first spell. Lavender squeaked as her wand flew out of her hand.

"Stupefy! Expelliarmus!" Hermione screamed back as she shoved Lavender behind the wall and out of sight.

Harry was too focused on dodging the stupefy to protect his own wand. It slipped through his fingers and into Hermione's.

The brunette witch grabbed Harry's wand and ducked behind the wall just as Ron and Neville cast their own disarming curses.

"Stupefy!" Harry tried, but Lavender's wand just gave off sparks. The Boy Who Lived swore rather colorfully and stepped behind Ron and Neville for cover. Meanwhile, Dean and Seamus had been fighting off Hermione's dogs with little success.

Dean finally managed to banish one, and then was shocked by a flurry of little birds that flew right into his face. Parvati giggled in triumph and took advantage of his distracted state to summon his wand right from his hand.

Hermione quickly surveyed the room. Harry was brooding behind Neville, who looked incredibly nervous as he cast yet another poorly-aimed disarming spell. Ron and Seamus were both unconscious on the floor, courtesy of her stunning spells.

Another minute and Neville's wand was in her pocket, along with Ron's, Harry's, and Seamus'. Dean was groaning on the floor and Harry looked very cornered.

"Surrender?" Hermione called to her friend, twirling his wand between her fingers.

"Accio!" Harry suddenly bellowed.

His wand twitched out of Hermione's fingers, and she had to leap forward to grab it.

"Stupefy!" She called, and her best friend slumped to the floor. Parvati stupefied Dean, and it was officially over.

Moody stepped up, nodding.

"Good work, girls – stupefy!"

Parvati was down like a log. Lavender screamed and fled the shelter of the barricade towards the door. Moody was too fast for her, and she slipped into unconsciousness quickly.

Hermione grinned as she shouted off spells that her teacher easily deflected. Of course, he was a guy – so he was on the other team.

Her transfigurations were practically no help, Moody banished them right off the bat. She was quite good at dodging, and when she couldn't, her protegos just barely kept off his curses.

The most frustrating thing was that she was aware he was going easy on her.

She managed to hit him on his wooden leg with a bludgeoning hex, knocking him back, and shot two stupefys at Moody while he was down. They were deflected easily, and a blue spark shot towards her.

Hermione couldn't escape it, and it struck her in the chest. She gasped and felt herself freeze up. She couldn't move an inch.

Moody smiled at her, and walked over to pluck her wand from her hand.

"Duel over."

Hermione just glared at him as he walked around ennervating everybody. Harry was already awake, and had watched the end of Hermione's duel with Moody.

"Impressive, Hermione," he grinned at her.

Finally Moody stepped back to the immobilized witch and undid the spell. Hermione shifted her stance, relieving her aching leg muscles.

Hermione handed the boys back their wands and stretched her arms.

"The five of you boys against three girls. Well, you certainly got your arses handed to you, didn't you?" Moody barked out a laugh. "Miss Granger was the last one standing before I got to her, and she put up a damn good fight against a trained Auror. I got her with an immobilizing curse. Look it up in the library for your homework.

"And you, Potter – tried a bit of wandless magic, did you? Put more strength into it! Now, get out, all of you. Lesson's over. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Hermione grinned as he winked at her and practically danced out of the classroom.

"Bloody hell," Ron groaned as he followed his two friends down the hallway. "I don't want to duel you _ever_ again, 'Mione."

"You're going to," Harry smiled ruefully. "So, when do you guys want to practice our immobilizing curses? Shall we go the library?"

"Can't," Hermione said, striding forcefully down the hall. "I'm meeting Fred by the lake."

Ron and Harry slowed and looked at each other.

"Well, that's new," Harry blinked.

"Hermione doesn't want to go the library?" Ron gasped. "But – but – this goes against the laws of nature!"

"Oh, hush!" Hermione blushed. "There's more to life than going to the library!" She walked a little quicker, and was soon out of sight.

"Never thought Fred was good for anything," Ron commented to Harry. "Guess I was wrong."

Harry Potter just smiled sadly. He was glad Hermione was more relaxed than she had ever been before, thanks to her new relationship. Ron was right, Fred was certainly good for her. He never would have guessed the bookworm and the prankster would go so well together – but he had never seen a couple more happy.

He felt a small twinge of regret as Hermione left his view. If only he had told her, had acted like a true Gryffindor... No, it wasn't any good now. She was happy, and Harry would never do anything to ruin that. Never.

* * *

Fred was juggling three conjured scarves near the Great Lake when he was bowled over.

"Whoa!" He shouted, but wrapped his arms around the girl who had just barreled into him. "Hey, I missed you too."

George and Lee Jordan chuckled as Hermione and Fred kissed softly for a moment.

"Got a little firecracker on your hands," Lee laughed.

"Hey!" George sat up quickly. "That's our next project! I bet we can make firecrackers that'll put shame to Filibusters!"

Fred and Hermione looked up at him and smiled.

"You'll have to be careful," Hermione cautioned him as she sat up, still holding her boyfriend's hand. "Use all the safety charms you can think of. I don't want any of you blowing your heads off in an accident with a prototype."

"We're Weasleys," Fred told her firmly. "We wouldn't die in such an ignoble manner. We will go out in battle – or not at all!"

"Not peacefully in bed?" Lee laughed. "That's how I'd like it – when I'm two hundred, I'll just pass along in my sleep."

"Two hundred?" George scoffed. "Nobody lives that long."

"Professor Dumbledore is one hundred and ten," Hermione pointed out. "Although he seems younger. Some wizards have been reported to live up to two hundred and fifty, even without use of the Elixir of Life or Longevity Enchantments."

Fred grinned at his very own bookworm.

"Longevity enchantments... We could certainly use a form of that on the fireworks, if we want them to stay good in storage..."

The four Gryffindors continued to avidly talk about how to perfect fireworks. Hermione felt thrilled that she was an inventor now, and was able to use her smarts for something other than just schoolwork. She wondered sometimes what she would do after Hogwarts, and it seemed that inventing, whether it was pranks or even original spells, was a possibility.

The group reluctantly broke up an hour later, and Hermione headed off to Herbology while the boys ran towards the castle so as not to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

* * *

Hermione practically floated through her lesson, smiling all the while.

"Are you okay?" Neville asked her concernedly.

She glanced at her herbology partner.

"Yeah, fine," she smiled gently at him. He had no idea she was running over ideas for pranks in her head.

"So Hermione, I was wondering if you could give me some advice," Neville said quietly, in a rush.

"Of course, what about?"

"Well, you have a boyfriend, so I thought you might know about..." He trailed off nervously.

"What is it?" Hermione asked patiently.

"There's someone... that I like... a lot... But I don't know how to ask... I'm scared!" He finished, sounding quite terrified indeed.

"You were sorted into Gryffindor for a reason," Hermione told him after a minute. "You're brave, Neville. You just have to get past your fears. What are you scared of?"

"What people will say," Neville whispered.

"Nonsense," Hermione scoffed. "That shouldn't matter one bit. Neville, you have my full support. So why the fear? Is she a Slytherin?"

"Something like that," Neville murmured.

Hermione patted his arm comfortingly.

"I believe in you, Neville. Just ask her out."

He nodded, and didn't speak for the rest of Herbology.

Hermione walked back to Gryffindor tower deep in thought. It seemed that everybody she knew was having issues lately. Neville was scared about asking some girl out, and George seemed rather aloof since the fight a few days ago. Lavender was busy giggling over Ron, and Ron was flirting with her in the clueless manner he had. Parvati and Seamus spent half of their class time making eyes at each other, without ever doing anything about it. Even Harry didn't talk to her as much as he used to.

She was so lost in thought she didn't have time to react as someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alcove.

"Quiet, Granger," Draco Malfoy hissed. "Put your wand away and listen to me. Some upper years are waiting to ambush you and your boyfriend on the Quidditch pitch tonight. They found out about your date."

"Why – why are you telling me this?" Hermione asked, slowly putting her wand away.

He blinked for a moment.

"Life would be boring without a bit of competition," he finally drawled. "Who else besides you can hope to compete with my grades?"

"Uh huh." Hermione could't help but smile a little.

"Don't you dare tell them I told you!" Malfoy said furiously. "Or I'll curse you."

"I won't," Hermione said automatically. "Thanks, Malfoy."

He just nodded and released her arm.

"Get going, then," he told her sharply.

She hurried off, rubbing her arm where he had held it. Once she was out of hearing range, Draco sighed to himself.

"I don't want to see you dead, Granger. No matter what my father says."

* * *

Ginny wondered, not for the first time, why her brothers were so determined to scare every boy in Hogwarts away from her. Colin Creevey was the only boy who still bothered to flirt with her, in that awkward way of his, because her brothers found it amusing. They never thought she would be interested in him, and they were right.

She was thirteen now, and quite determined to get a boyfriend. The most important thing, Hermione had counseled her, was forgetting about her crush on Harry, the Boy-who-Lived, and the most handsome boy she knew. He was brave, and kind, and would be a perfect addition to her family...

"No!" She declared out loud, trying to shake the image from her head. She had dreamed about her knight in shining armor for years, and found it hard to get rid of the dream. Luna glanced over at her friend.

"Good luck with those gringlesnappers," she patted Ginny's shoulder. "They're not what you think they are. Wait until Christmas. Thats when the best of the wigenbrunks come out."

Ginny just mumbled in reply, and put her head down on her textbook. She loved Luna, really she did, but she was so nutty sometimes.

"Time to go."

Ginny looked up.

"What – where are we going?" She asked as Luna pulled her away from the table.

"Come along!" she declared in a sing-song voice. "Can't be late, or the queen'll have our heads!"

Ginny sighed and held onto Luna's hand as they left. It didn't matter where they were heading – as long as she was with Luna, she knew it would be quite an adventure.


	5. Debating

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, unrecognizable plot and dialogue totally are. Not making even a measly penny off of this. Drat. Better not quit that day job...

* * *

_Chapter Five_

"There they are!" Yaxley whispered.

Montague squinted through the dark. The quidditch pitch was barely lighted by the moonlight, and the two Gryffindors they were trying to ambush were in the dark and barely visible. Still, he could just make out their outline. Two figures, one taller than the other, wrapped in each other's arms, and their two brooms on the ground at their feet.

"Now!"

"Reducto!"

"Stupefy!"

"Serpensortia!"

"Confringo!"

"Reducto!"

Five Slytherins rushed towards the unsuspecting Gryffindors, their curses of choice shooting from their wands. Jets of light rushed to illuminate the two figures – and Montague had a sudden jolt as he realized something – those weren't people.

There was the sound of a very large series of explosions, and the Slytherins were thrown to the ground. Bradley was the farthest back, and was the only one to remain conscious after the initial explosion.

"Whaaah?" he mumbled in a daze, staring up at the fireworks exploding above them. Then the pain from his burns became too much, and he fainted.

"They'll be all right, won't they?" Hermione murmured from several hundred feet up in the air.

"Oh yeah," Fred grinned. "Just scared. And burnt. And in really, really big trouble." His arms tightened around his witch.

"Mmm," Hermione relaxed against Fred. "That was really clever, Fred – taking them down with pranks, and not action."

"The best part is... when McGonagall follows that mysterious tip off," Fred whispered into her ear, "They won't be able to prove a thing. The fireworks were bought anonymously – well, the ones from Filibusters anyway – and those gits were the ones who set them off."

Hermione giggled, then gasped as Fred began to nibble on her ear.

"Oh, _Fred._"

"What do you say we head over to the Astronomy Tower?" Fred suggested.

"I'd say it was your best idea yet."

* * *

"Hermione!" Harry waved his friend over to the breakfast table. "Did you hear? A bunch of Slytherins set off fireworks on the quidditch pitch last night. They messed up in setting them off, and they all got really badly burned. They're still in the hospital wing!"

"Really?" Hermione gave him a sly smile. "I had _no idea._"

Harry blinked for a moment as Hermione took a piece of toast and began to butter it.

"Um, okay..."

"So, anybody see those fireworks last night?" Fred asked casually as he sat down by Hermione. "Gorgeous, they were."

Harry looked between the two of them for a minute, and it dawned on him.

"It was you two! _Wasn't it?_"

"We can neither confirm or deny such a fact," Hermione responded sweetly. "Ooh, they have blackberry jam today. How lovely..."

"But how did you know they would..." Harry trailed off. "How'd you get them there?"

"They were already planning on being there to ambush us on our date, Hermione heard about it and we decided to turn the tables on them," Fred whispered. "They dash well deserved what they got."

"Wasn't saying they didn't," Harry nodded. He picked up his glass of pumpkin juice and swirled it around, watching the dregs at the bottom.

"So it was the funniest thing," George said as he came over to sit down beside them. "I was sitting in bed, waiting for Fred to get to the dorm, when I saw the biggest, most beautiful fireworks I'd ever seen, coming from the Quidditch pitch. Strangely enough, a lot of them looked like the designs I'd made for our fireworks, Fred... Then, imagine my surprise when I found out this morning that Yaxley and four others were being treated by Pomfrey for burns – caused by fireworks! What a strange coincidence, wouldn't you say, Harry?"

"Quite," Harry said in amusement.

"So, George," Fred said between bites of egg. "We were up from eleven to two talking, right?"

"Of course we were. By the way, I didn't need to hear all that about Hermione!" George shook his head. "There are some things a bloke just doesn't want to know."

"Fred!" Hermione gasped.

Fred blushed to the roots of his hair.

"I – I would _never_!"

Hermione grinned playfully and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Fred expertly turned his head so their lips met. Hermione dropped her toast and kissed her boyfriend eagerly for a few minutes.

Harry flushed, mumbled an excuse, and ran off.

"Harry!" George called after him, frowning. "What on – oh dear Merlin..." He leapt to his feet, grabbed some toast and ran after the Boy-Who-Lived.

Hermione and Fred finally released each other and turned to face their breakfast companions.

"So, George..."

"Where did they go?" Hermione wondered, quite surprised.

"Wait up," George said as he grabbed Harry's sleeve. He had finally caught up to him near the Greenhouses. Harry was a very fast walker when he wanted to be.

"It's just -" Harry started, then sighed angrily. "You don't want to hear it."

"Yes I do," George said quietly. "You don't like seeing them together. I get that. It was weird seeing my brother – my best friend – do that with a girl the first time too."

"It's not the same!"

"'course its not, 'cause I don't fancy Fred," George sniffed. "No matter what some Gryffindor girls like to fantasize about at night... But that's not important. What's important is that you fancy Hermione."

Harry's mouth opened and closed several times, and he flushed.

"How long?" George sighed. "Come on, over here, _sit_." He led the younger boy to a bench outside of a greenhouse.

"At least since we saved Sirius... Maybe earlier," Harry groaned. "I thought – I would have asked her out after school started, but then she and Fred just... Then I was too late."

George sighed and began to give Harry a pep talk. It was obvious to him that besides suffering from the terrible affliction known as _Broken Heart-itis_, the Boy-who-Lived had very low self-esteem. Over the course of ten minutes of extolling Harry's virtues to him, George took a deep breath.

"That is why so many girls – and a few blokes – like you so much, Harry. No, don't look at me like that, I'm just trying to be a good mate. I'm certainly not one of those blokes, not that I care when people are. Look at Lee, we're still best mates, aren't we?" George slapped his younger friend on the back. "Now get out there and find another girl, or chap, or summat. You can do it, Harry, I have faith in your seducing abilities! Go on, before all the good ones are snatched up!"

George walked away whistling, confident in a job well done.

Harry smiled ruefully. George was really a good friend. He'd needed to hear all those things he'd said, and George had provided them, very sincerely and enthusiastically.

"Well," he declared. "I've got to move on, then."

"Move on from what?"

Harry turned and saw Neville.

The other boy was standing there grinning, for once not wearing his school robes. Neville must have slimmed down quite a bit over the summer, Harry realized suddenly, as the other boy was wearing much baggy clothes than he always had in previous years, and it didn't matter anymore.

"Er, nothing of much importance," Harry brushed off the question. "What are you doing out here, Neville?"

"Nothing of much importance," Neville beamed brilliantly, and Harry gave him a smile in return.

Then he noticed something else. Harry didn't look at other blokes' lips all too much, but for some reason Neville's caught his attention. They looked slightly swollen, and one side even had a smudge of blood on it.

"Neville – your lips – what happened?" Harry asked in worried astonishment.

The other Gryffindor quickly covered his lips.

"Nothing," he declared, fiercely blushing.

As usual, it took Harry a few moments to catch on.

"Hang on – have you been snogging someone in the Greenhouses?"

"Uh – er -"

"Out with it, Neville!" Harry grinned, his own worries forgotten. "Who is she? Is she in our year?"

"Look Harry," Neville said, his expression suddenly changing to concern, "Don't tell anybody, okay? It's kind of a secret for now. Nobody's supposed to know."

"If you want me to," Harry said slowly. "But that doesn't sound very healthy, Neville, not telling anybody. A secret's bound to come out eventually."

"Yeah – I know," Neville looked down at the ground. "Just – we both need some time to get used to it, and we don't need other people's judgement complicating things."

"Okay," Harry sent him a smile. "But if you do need to tell someone, I promise not to judge you, Neville. I've got relationship troubles of my own."

"Oh, I know," Neville responded automatically.

"You know?" Harry asked sharply.

"Well, er, mate, I've been in the same dorm and classes with you for three years," Neville pointed out. "I doubt many other people have noticed, but I can see the way you act towards Hermione. Don't worry, she doesn't know, and neither does Fred."

"Good," Harry said, relieved to hear it. "So, uh, ready for class?"

"Harry, its a Saturday," Neville said slowly. "There's no classes."

"Then ready for a day of relaxing?" Harry shrugged. "Want to go flying or something?"

"I don't fly very well," Neville said in amusement. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh yeah," Harry realized. "Who could I..."

"Why don't you ask Ron?" Neville suggested. "He is your best friend."

"Right!" Harry nodded. "You know, its funny, I haven't seen him around much in the last few days..."

"Really?" Neville frowned. "That's strange, I see him all the time. We played chess four times last night. Hey, did you see those fireworks?"

"No," Harry frowned. "Slept through them, I guess. Hey, have a good day, Neville. Good luck with the girlfriend."

"Okay," Neville said quietly as Harry walked off. "I think I'm going to need it."

* * *

It was around mid day when Fred set off to meet Hermione outside for their planned picnic. He hummed quietly to himself as he levitated a large basket in front of him.

Then he saw something very strange – Hermione in the entrance hall, where she'd said she'd be... talking to the ferret.

They were whispering something very quietly, and they were certainly too close for Fred's comfort. He stood very still around the corner, watching them with a fury that threatened to consume him.

Didn't Hermione know the ferret was _dangerous_? What on earth was she playing at?

Malfoy turned to go, and Hermione reached out a hand – to touch his shoulder! Fred shuddered. The she smiled at him, and leaned forward to – kiss him on the cheek!

Malfoy walked around the corner and was treated to a punch in the jaw.

"How dare you touch her?" Fred snarled. "How dare you even speak to her? You're not even fit to kiss the ground she -"

"Fred!" Hermione screeched, have heard the noises and come running. "What on earth – Draco, are you all right?" She gave the ferret a hand and helped him up.

"Fine," Malfoy panted, glaring at Fred.

"Why were you letting him get close to you – why did you _kiss_ him?" Fred had turned his scowl on Hermione.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Fred!" she practically screamed in exasperation as she grabbed his arm and forced him into a classroom, slamming the door behind them to ensure some privacy. "Because he's a friend! Because he saved our skins! Because he's not the scum you think he is! Take your pick!"

"He's _WHAT!"_ Fred bellowed. "Your friend? He _is _scum, Hermione, born and bred, and nothing's going to change that!"

"Oh, typical!" Hermione fired back. "You're so unwilling to see the good in others – you're just as prejudiced as the Blood Purists are! It makes me sick, Fred, it honestly makes me feel _sick!_"

"How dare you!" Fred yelled at her. "Comparing me to a Purist – that's what _he_ is, Hermione, that ferret, he's not just a stuck up prat, he's the son of a Death Eater!"

"He's not a purist, ferret is a _nasty_ nickname, and HE CAN'T HELP WHO HIS FATHER IS!" Hermione shrieked back.

"I get it!" Fred said loudly. "You like him, is that it? He's such a pretty boy, he said a few nice things and got you all sweet for him. You could have just told me!"

"Oh don't be so STUPID!" Hermione screamed. "I don't like him that way, I'm with _you, Fred!_"

"Well maybe you shouldn't be if you're making friends with ferrets like him!" Fred shouted back.

"Maybe I shouldn't be if you're going to be reckless, irrational, and _violent_!"

"Well fine!"

"Fine!"

"Leave then!"

"You leave!"

"No, you – oh _bugger,_ Hermione!" Fred groaned and sank into a chair. "I - I don't want to leave you. I – well I just don't want to, all right? We're good together."

"Yeah. I know," Hermione sighed, sitting down opposite of him. In the space of a few seconds, they had calmed down considerably.

"So please don't you leave either."

"I think I might have injured my larynx," Hermione said, rubbing her throat.

"Here, have a lozenge."

"Thank you – but don't think this gets you off the hook!"

"Oh, Hermione, what do you want me to say? Why were you so chummy with the ferret – sorry, _Malfoy?_"

"He's the one who tipped me off about the Slytherins ambushing us last night. They could have killed us if it wasn't for Draco!"

Fred's mouth hung open.

"He – he saved our lives? Really?"

"Yes really!"

"Damn it... Does that mean I owe him?"

"It certainly does."

"Bloody hell."

"Exactly. Then you went and punched him after he gave me an update on the state of affairs in Slytherin right now."

"Oh. So he's giving you useful information?"

"Uh huh."

"Kinda like a spy?"

"Yep."

"What'd he say?"

"They're divided into several groups, the non Purists who just think they should leave the two of us, and the rest of Gryffindor, alone, which is about half of Slytherin – problem is, they don't have a lot of political clout within the house."

"Political clout? What the hell, its school, not parliament..."

"Ahem."

"Sorry, go on."

"Then the other half is the Purists, only half of which is really hardcore about it, and they're mostly upper years... I mean think about it, they only believe it because their parents have taught them to, and its reinforced by their peers. The more radical group, hardcore I called it, thinks we should be punished for what we did – you know, capturing those Death Eaters at the Cup, but only a few actually want us dead. Yaxley's one of them. The half of the Purists who don't really care about us are now frightened of us, and really don't want to get involved. So the quarter of the Slytherins who hate us now have mixed feelings: they're scared of us, but some are still determined to 'get even' with those 'muggle-loving scum.' Draco still doesn't know how last night changed the feelings of the five in the hospital wing."

There was a beat.

"That's bloody confusing."

"Yes it is," Hermione agreed. "Should I -"

"Nah, I get it, go on."

"So Draco's helping me out, and I trust him. He's not the little dick he used to be," Hermione said candidly.

Fred snorted.

"Hermione! Okay, I'm sorry for punching him. I didn't know. Next time just tell me beforehand."

"Before you feel the need to punch him?" Hermione asked wryly. "All right, I'll try to remember."

Their eyes met and they both suddenly laughed.

"I'm really glad I got that anger out," Hermione grinned.

"Yeah, pretty good for a first fight, huh?"

"Very good."

"Good enough for a make up kiss?"

"I'll say."

* * *

Draco walked through the hallway, holding his jaw gingerly, when he ran into Ginny Weasley.

"What happened to you?" she asked curiously.

"Your brother."

"Be more specific?"

"The ugly twin."

"There's a pretty one?" Ginny deadpanned.

"Fred," Draco said rather darkly.

"Ah. He see you talking to Hermione?"

"Yes."

"You okay?"

"Good to know you cared, Weaselette."

"Naw, just need you whole for the sacrifice later tonight."

"How... lovely."

"Midnight on the Southern tower. I've got the whole thing planned out," Ginny smiled sweetly.

"Uh huh. Go play with your voodoo dolls, I've got to find some bruise salve," Draco snorted.

They walked in different directions, each more amused for the encounter.


	6. It Takes A While For Harry To Get A Clue

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, unrecognizable plot and dialogue totally are. I'm not making even a measly penny off of this… Drat. Better not quit that day job.

A/N: This chapter does not focus on Hermione and Fred, I know - I promise we'll have some more of their romance next chapter - but for now I need to focus on building up the other character's subplots. This chapter is Harry-centric.

Another A/N: Yes, there are gay people at Hogwarts. If you have a problem with that, go get some therapy. Seriously.

* * *

Chapter Six

"Harry, I think something weird's going on," Ron hissed as he slid into the seat beside his friend at the table.

"It's Hogwarts - there's always something weird going on," Neville remarked drolly from his spot across from Harry.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked Ron.

"Ginny hasn't been at a meal in two full days," Ron declared, his eyes sharp and his ears flushed red. "I don't think she's eating enough. And whenever I see her in the halls - she brushes me off."

"Hmm," Harry frowned.

"You probably don't need to worry," Neville pointed out. "Ginny's not going to starve herself - she's probably getting food from the kitchens."

"Well, I hope so," Ron bit his lip.

"You're really worried," Harry said in amazement, watching as Ron cut his food to bits, not yet eating anything. Ron _never_ hesitated to dig in at the dinner table.

"The last time I ignored stuff like this from her was two years ago," Ron said, rather stiffly. "That time she turned out to have been possessed by V - Voldemort."

The fact that he had actually said the name made Harry take him seriously.

"Hey, we'll find her, and talk with her, and make sure she's all right," Harry said, touching Ron's shoulder comfortingly.

"Oh, hey, got to go," Neville said, suddenly darting away from the table. Harry and Ron glanced up at him in bemusement. He was gone before they could ask anything.

"Neville's been being weird too," Ron frowned. "His head's been in the clouds lately."

"Yeah, well…" Harry leaned in, grinning. "Don't tell anyone - but he's got a secret girlfriend."

"What?" Ron looked entirely surprised. "A _girlfriend_? Neville? That doesn't make sense, Harry, are you sure…"

"Oh yeah," Harry chuckled.

"Hey!"

Harry jumped in surprise as Neville appeared beside them again.

"Uh, Harry, do you mind if I borrow your bruise balm?" Neville asked.

"Not at all, go for it," Harry nodded. Neville ran off again, with a quick thanks to Harry.

"Wonder why he needs that…" Harry mused, then forgot about it as he began to eat his pie.

"Oh…" Ron's face lit up suddenly. "I gotta run, Harry - see you later."

"What - " Harry tried to say, but his mouth was full of pumpkin pie, and Ron was already running off.

"Why does everyone keep running off?" Harry growled, feeling rather put off.

"Hello!" Hermione chirped as she sat down beside him. "How's your day been, Harry?"

"Okay," Harry said, flushing slightly as their thighs touched when Hermione leaned across him to grab the fruit salad.

"How's Fred doing?"

"Good, good," Hermione said absently. "But we don't have to talk about him," She glanced at Harry. "I know I've been talking about him a lot… and I haven't been spending much time with you in the last couple weeks. I'm sorry."

She laid a warm hand on Harry's own right hand.

"It's okay. I mean, we're gonna date - we're all going to date eventually." Harry said quickly.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "But I'm not going to abandon you, you know that? You're my best friend."

Harry nodded and drank his juice with a shaking hand. Yes, they were best friends. But that's all it was - and he knew he had to accept it.

As Hermione gave him a brilliant smile, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, Harry firmly kept his head as it was - not turning, as he wished to, to taste her lips with his own - even if he could claim it was an accident.

Moving on was turning out to be harder than he had hoped.

* * *

Harry had been in the Common Room, just thinking, for hours now. He couldn't sleep, not when his mind was still wide awake…

"Seriously?" A female voice whispered, before giggling. "Oh my, I wish I could - Harry!"

Harry had stood to see who it was.

"Hey, Ginny, Neville."

Both looked surprised to see him.

"What are you two doing?" Harry frowned. "It's almost midnight."

"Oh, we have to check on a potion - "

"I forgot something in the Charms classroom - "

"Uh huh." Harry quirked an eyebrow as they both flushed guiltily. "Ginny, why were you coming down the boy's stairs… Hold on - are you two dating?"

Ginny's eyes shot through the roof, and Neville laughed out loud.

"No - "

"Not happening - "

"Never with her - "

"No offense, Nev - "

"No offense, Gin - "

They looked at each other and cracked up.

"What?" Harry said, again completely out of the loop.

"We're not dating," Neville said seriously.

"Hey, you got the code?" Katie Bell said as she came down the stairs with a tall brunette Harry recognized as the seventh year prefect.

"Yes, but we have to…"

They had caught sight of Harry.

Just then Lee Jordan came down the boy's stairs.

"Oh hey, Harry. Don't tell me you've been invited…"

"I don't think so," Katie said, looking at Harry speculatively.

"Why not?" Harry demanded.

"He's welcome to come," the 7th year prefect shrugged.

"Um," Ginny began.

"You are," The prefect smiled down at Harry. "Guys, the point is to be inclusive. Even for people who are clearly still in the 'Q' stage."

"Yeah," Harry said gamely.

"All right then," Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. "If you're sure…"

Harry just nodded. He was so tired of being left out.

And that's how, at midnight on the Southern Tower, Harry Potter found himself at a rather large club meeting.

Harry waved at everyone.

"Um, hi."

"Hey Harry," Susan Bones said with some surprise.

Luna waved at him from across the room, where Ginny had sat down next to her.

"This is Harry's first day at club," The Gryffindor Prefect said warmly.

Harry glanced around the room, and did a double take when he saw Draco Malfoy across the room, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, so what sort of club is this anyways?" Harry asked, frowning at Malfoy.

"Wait, you didn't…" The Prefect looked confused.

"Harry," Padma leaned over, grinning. "You didn't realize you're at the Hogwarts LGBT club?"

Harry just sat there with his mouth open for a while.

"Oh," He said after a minute. "Well, sometimes it takes a while for me to get a clue."

Ginny nodded quickly.

"That's very true," Neville agreed.


	7. Supporting

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or any of these delightful characters.

A/N: Covers the timeline that Chapter 15 in Goblet of Fire does.

Another A/N: Yes, the pairing in this story is and will remain Hermione/Fred. I just wanted to use this chapter to highlight some realities about Hermione's friendships, and about how Fred would feel about this.

* * *

Chapter 7

Hermione watched anxiously as Harry was the first to go.

Mad-Eye slooked even crazier than usual. Hermione bit her lip to keep from calling out encouragement to Harry.

Although Mad-Eye wasn't saying anything out loud, it was clear that Harry was struggling to not obey his orders. The strange silent tension went on for a minute, until...

Harry half-jumped, half-stumbled into the desk - and as Mad-Eye roared with pleased laughter, Harry's eyes opened, and Hermione stopped herself from running to help him up.

"Very good for your first time," Moody said gruffly. "Who's next, then…" He didn't turn, but Hermione just _knew_ his eye was swiveling, staring at each of them in turn out of the back of his head.

"Granger!" He barked.

Hermione swallowed, one hand resting in her pocket, brushing her wand, even as she stood and walked to him.

"You were damn good in our duel," Mad-Eye said speculatively. "But real Death Eaters aren't going to pull out any stops - they won't hesitate to kill or torture someone like you."

Hermione nodded, even as she heard several shocked gasps from around the room - he had been referring to her status as a muggle-born.

Moody didn't give her any more time - he raised his wand and shot an _imperio_ at her.

Hermione grinned cutely as she dodged it.

"Smart aleck," Moody told her, and then Hermione froze as the spell caught her.

She felt relaxed and dreamy… Everything was going to be all right.

_Slap Potter. _A voice was telling her.

Hermione frowned slightly. Why would she do that?

_Go on, slap him. _It compelled her again.

She took a small step forward, even as her mind questioned the order.

'Why would I _want_ to slap Harry? He hasn't done anything wrong. And he's my best friend.'

_He's upset you before. Slap him _hard.

Harry and the others watched as Hermione trembled. She bit her lip, _hard_, and Harry could see blood trickling out, and he just wanted to _punch_ Moody for doing that to her.

Hermione was still stalling. She didn't want to do what that voice said.

_Slap him! NOW!_

Hermione staggered forward at the force of her order… Reaching Harry's desk, she could blearily see his concerned face as she raised her hand -

"Oh!" Hermione gasped as she fell out of the trance. Her face was stinging…

"Hermione!" Harry was standing, reaching out for her. "Professor - you made her _hit_ herself? What's wrong with you?" He demanded.

Harry inspected her red face, and was prepared to say something more to Moody.

"I didn't tell her to do that... I told her to hit you, Potter."

The room was still again as Harry and Hermione locked eyes.

"I couldn't," Hermione said softly.

Harry hugged her tightly, and wondered how he'd gotten so lucky to have a friend like Hermione.

* * *

"Fred, stop being a jealous prat."

"Well, I can't help it." Fred sighed. "I'm proud that Hermione managed to throw off the curse - but what if it was just because of the order? She would never hurt Harry - they're almost as close as _we_ are, and they're not even siblings."

"It's not a competition," George reminded him. "They're always going to be best friends - and you can't ask Hermione to abandon him."

"I wouldn't do that… But they just have this bond that… Well, everyone can see it." He paused, then looked downward. "I hear these Ravenclaws… gossiping about _when_ Hermione was going to break up with me for Harry."

"Well, clearly they're not fit to be Ravenclaws if they're such idiots," George said firmly. "Come on, Fred. I've seen the way she looks at you - its the same as you get with her. She's crazy about you. Now come on… tonight of all nights isn't a night to get distracted. We still have tons of work to do."

"That's right…" Fred slowly smiled. "Tomorrow's a big day."

Fred had certainly managed to get the attention of the entire school, Hermione thought with a blush. She had come down for breakfast, sat down as usual… When her teapot began to sing to her - in a deep, rich baritone - and everyone around her joined in.

"_Happy birthday, dearest Hermione… Happy birthday to you._"

The entire Gryffindor table, and quite a few of the rest of Hogwarts' denizens, began to clap once it finished.

"I assume you did that?" Hermione grinned at Fred.

"Yes," he said boldly. "But the real party is this evening, in the Common Room - at 7 pm." He raised his voice, so that the news was passed around the table like wildfire.

"There'll be treats, games, and of course - birthday cake."

Hermione smiled softly at him. She surely had the most considerate boyfriend in the world.

Harry and Ron looked at each other guiltily. They had presents for her - but they'd never done anything to truly celebrate Hermione's special day, even though they'd been best friends through her last two birthdays.

Hermione tugged on Fred's robes, and he tilted his head down obediently for her to kiss him.

It was slow, and languid, with a promise of more later on.

Fred had trouble calming his breathing when Hermione finally released him.

"Hermione," Ginny said quietly, hopeful. "Can Luna come to the party too?"

"Sure," Hermione smiled at her friend. "You're always welcome, Luna."

The Ravenclaw girl smiled broadly.

"I can finally take care of those nargles," Luna said excitedly. "I've rid the Ravenclaw Common Room of them - but I feel so bad for those who don't know how to take care of them."

Hermione smiled uncertainly - she still wasn't quite used to Luna's… humor. The twins nodded quite seriously.

"We'd appreciate it," George replied.

Ron disguised his laugh rather poorly.

Ginny didn't pay attention to her brother, she just smiled at her friend's comments and reached over to tuck a long strand of Luna's ear behind her ear, so it wouldn't fall into her soup.

The two third year girls exchanged secret smiles, and Hermione looked curiously between them, wondering what they were thinking of.

She didn't see them quietly clasping hands under the table.

* * *

"This is _spectacular,_" Ron sighed, before taking a large bite of ice cream. "How come we never celebrate my birthday like this?"

"'Cause we love Hermione more," George responded, shoving him gently.

"Ah well. I need some more Butterbeer," Ron announced.

"How did you get all of this?" Alicia marveled. She was sitting on a chair near Fred and Hermione.

The birthday girl smiled as Fred fed her another bite of cake.

"Got some contacts," Fred replied, his eyes twinkling. "Good cake?"

"Mmm hmm," Hermione mumbled through her bite. "My favorite," she added, when she was done chewing. "How'd you…"

"You mentioned it last year," Fred said off-handedly.

"Last year?" Hermione's eyes widened. "You remember that?"

"Yeah," her boyfriend admitted.

Hermione regarded him with soft eyes, and then snuggled closer to him.

"You wanted to ask me out last year?" She murmured, so nobody else could hear.

"Yeah," Fred admitted quietly, wrapping his arm around her.

"Should have."

"Would you have said yes?" Fred asked honestly. "You didn't really know me then."

"That's true - but I probably would've said yes anyways."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, I've thought you were cute since first year," Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I knew you were just with me for my looks," Fred teased.

They giggled, and Alicia left quietly, leaving them alone for a minute.

Hermione was so comfortable that she was getting sleepy… When a loud cry broke her from her rest.

"That's disgusting!" Cormac McLaggen was yelling.

Everyone was looking over towards him - and saw what he was screaming about.

In one large armchair, Ginny and Luna were curled up in each other's arms, in a very clearly 'more than friends' sort of way.

As Hermione hurried over, she saw the blush on Ginny's cheeks, and how red both girls' lips were- it was fairly obvious that they must have been snogging when Cormac interrupted them.

"You leave my sister the _hell_ alone." Ron had gotten to Cormac before anyone else. "It's none of your business who she chooses to snog."

"It's unnatural," Cormac McLaggen whined.

"No, it isn't," Ron said firmly. "Nobody can change who they love, and they certainly shouldn't ever try - especially for bigots like you."

Cormac scowled at him, but he was clearly intimidated by the 4th year.

"Get out of here," Ron said lowly, stepping closer to Cormac, his hands clenching into fists. "Before I throw you out."

Angrily, Cormac turned and walked up the stairs to his dormitory.

"Ron," Ginny said softly, pride and gratitude in her voice.

"Don't worry about it," Ron told her, and when he looked at them, he flushed slightly. "Carry on with the party, folks!"

He turned off to find another butterbeer. George caught him in a tight hug, then released him, heading over to Ginny and Luna.

"You were wonderful," Parvati said, looking at Ron with interest in her eyes. "Come sit with me?"

A little stunned, Ron just nodded and followed the pretty girl over to a couch.

"I'm sorry about McLaggen," Hermione was telling the two girls.

"It's going to happen," Ginny sighed. "Might as well deal with it sooner than later."

"It's not fair," Hermione said softly. "But I'm happy for you two."

Ginny looked at Luna, who hadn't moved from her position lying across Ginny's lap, her head curled on her shoulder.

"Thanks," the youngest Weasley told Hermione.

"You treat her well, mind you," Fred said, looking sharply at Luna.

"Fred…"

"I mean it."

"I will." Luna looked at him seriously.

"Have you tried the cake?" Hermione asked them. "Oh - you _have _to. It's chocolate cherry torte… My favorite."

She squeezed Fred's hand warmly.

* * *

The next morning, when Cormac walked into the Great Hall - people immediately began to point and snigger.

"What?" He hissed at Lee Jordan, who was laughing outright.

"Didn't look in the mirror this morning?" Lee asked him.

Suddenly frightened, Cormac grabbed Katie Bell's hand mirror.

"Hey," she protested, then gasped and giggled at him.

"Oh… _no_." Cormac groaned, staring at his own reflection.

Emblazoned on his forehead, in bright red letters, was one word.

_BIGOT._

"Who did this?" He yelled, and stormed over to Ginny, who was sitting with Luna on one side of her, and Hermione on the other side.

Slowly, Hermione stood, crossed her arms, and sneered at Cormac.

"I highly doubt you could prove anything."

He stared at the her, and realization slowly crossed his face.

"Take it off! Now!"

"What makes you think I could?" Hermione asked, batting her eyelashes innocently.

"You put it on there!"

"Accusations," Hermione tutted.

Cormac growled, and grabbed his wand to point it at her - but before he could get a single syllable out, the wand was whooshing out of his hands, and into Hermione's.

"Wordless disarming charms," Hermione yawned. "Can be useful."

Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had come hurrying down from the Great Table when they saw a confrontation looming - and were now standing right behind McLaggen.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for attacking another student," Snape said, as he took McLaggen's arm in a harsh grip.

"Fifty points to Gryffindor for averting his attack," Professor McGonagall said to Hermione.

"Someone had to teach those fags a lesson…" Cormac growled, trying to shake off Snape's arm.

"Detention! Three nights a week, until the end of the semester!" McGonagall's eyes flashed amber with rage.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for foul language," Snape said silkily, and using his grip on Cormac's arm, hauled him out of the hall, even as the boy gasped in pain.

"Here's his wand, Professor," Hermione said diplomatically.

Professor McGonagall smiled at her slowly, and spoke quietly.

"Fifty points to Gryffindor for mastering a wandless charm. And twenty points… for creative use of the inscription charm." The Gryffindor Head of House followed Snape out of the Hall, leaving Hermione stunned - and very pleased.

"Very creative indeed," Fred nodded. "Will you teach us how to use that?"

"Maybe - if you're very, very good," Hermione looked down at him, a spark of mischief in her eyes.

Fred pulled her back down into her seat, and whispered in her ear - something that made Hermione shiver in anticipation.

"Ooh, Fred - that's…"

"Mmm hmmm."

"Ohhh…"

"What do you think?"

"Best idea of the century," Hermione purred.

Everyone else went back to their own business, deciding that they really didn't need to know.


	8. Cheating

Disclaimer: Do not own, am not making money!

A/N: Still during Goblet of Fire.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"So we know aging potion doesn't work," George said, rubbing his chin. It still itched like that bloody beard was still there..

"Neither do banishing charms," Fred declared, as his parchment stopped mid-air right over the Age Line.

Hermione just watched them, and slowly, a look of pleased cunning washed over her features.

"Watch this," she murmured. She scribbled something on a piece of parchment, then tapped it with her wand.

"What did you do?"

Fred read the piece of parchment - in red ink, it read: Carl Jenkins, Hogwarts.

"What is this?"

Hermione waved her blue pen, and pointed at a tall raven haired Hufflepuff, who was walking across the line to drop what he believed to be his piece of parchment into the Goblet...

"You didn't," Fred whispered, in awe.

"Yep."

"Switching Spell?" George's eyes were nearly popping out. "How didn't we think of that?"

"And I'll do one for you too," Hermione said cheerfully, writing George's name, scrawling something else, and doing it again.

"May the best candidate win," Hermione told them.

The twins were practically glowing as they seized her in a tight hug.

Hermione looked on with amusement while Fred and George continued to speculate what other students were their biggest competition.

Finally it was time. Dumbledore stood by the goblet, and waited for it to spit out the first Champion's name.

"From Durmstrang… Viktor Krum."

The Great Hall burst into applause.

"Big surprise," Fred said drolly.

"From Beauxbatons… Fleur Delacour."

This time the applause was mixed with catcalls.

"That's just…" George didn't take his eyes off of the French Champion. "_Dis_respectful."

Fred and Hermione grinned at each other.

"And from Hogwarts… The Champion is… Cedric Diggory."

Hufflepuff stood as one and screamed their delight.

Cedric grinned bashfully, and slowly made his way up.

Fred and George looked sadly at each other.

"Oh well," George sighed.

"Life goes on," Fred said, obviously disappointed.

Even as she squeezed his hand, Hermione felt tremendously guilty. She had gotten their names in - but she had written foreign schools with their names: not Durmstrang, or Beauxbatons - instead she had written that Fred was from Reykjavik Academy (in Iceland) and George from the Bay Academy of Magic (in the western United States).

Hermione figured that that way, there was no way the Goblet would even consider them - after all, the competition was between the three European schools.

"Look," Neville hissed.

Hermione looked up, and saw that the Goblet was glowing again. Dumbledore took another piece of paper as it flew up and into his hand.

He looked over to the Gryffindor table.

"Fred Weasley."

Everyone, including Fred, was shocked.

He turned to his girlfriend, who was turning pale, and grinned.

"You brilliant witch," Fred whispered, and kissed her hard, before standing. "I don't know what you did, but you're amazing…"

He was halfway to the Great Table when Dumbledore's booming voice sounded again.

"George Weasley."

Letting out a loud whoop of joy, George stood and hurried after his brother. Gryffindor burst into chuckles, and there was some scattered applause.

Hermione put her head down on the table and tried not to tremble.

_What had she done_?

* * *

Everyone was celebrating in the Gryffindor Common Room that night.

"It'll be more fun this way anyhow," Fred was telling Ron. "Now there's nine people in the competition! Maxime and Karkaroff were pissed off, so Dumbledore and the Ministry agreed to change the rules this year so each school has three champions. Karkaroff and Maxime got to handpick their second and third students, though."

"Getting your names in… that's amazing," Lee marveled. "How'd you do it?"

"That is a secret," George said seriously.

His audience groaned.

"Come on, George…"

"And a magician never reveals his secrets," He shrugged. He knew instinctively that Hermione was upset and frightened - it was obvious from her tight smile and too-pale face all evening. He supposed she hadn't expected them to be chosen, even after she put their names in.

It didn't quite make sense to George how they _had_ been chosen anyhow - when Cedric's name came out, he thought it was over. His name had been put in, but the Goblet thought Cedric was the worthiest candidate. George could live with that.

But now… He'd never been this excited before. Fred and he had already discussed what they might do if they had ever managed to get chosen, and win… They would split the money, and use it to continue with their favorite extra-curricular activity - creating jokes.

So whichever of them won - it wouldn't matter. They'd do this together, just like always.

Fred had already said, as they were walking up the stairs, arm in arm, that they would be training together to make sure they were ready.

After all, together, they'd be unstoppable.

* * *

Hermione took a long time to fall asleep.

She couldn't help but blame herself - it was all her fault.

She had wanted to _show off_ and impress Fred - and instead she'd put them in terrible danger.

Hermione shivered as she remembered what she had read about the Tournament, on page eight hundred twenty four of Hogwarts, A History.

_As of 1934, nine students have died in the Tournament. _

She could just see the next edition of Hogwarts, A History…

_As of 1995, eleven students have perished in the Tournament. The latest two, Fred and George Weasley, died violently last year. Both boys were underage and unprepared for the harshness of the Tasks. They died because Fred Weasley's girlfriend illegally entered them into the contest. Hermione Granger, said ex-girlfriend, is now in Azkaban for life. _

"Stop thinking morbid thoughts and just go to sleep," Hermione ordered herself.

"You tell yourself that, girl," Parvati Patil giggled, as she came into the room, followed by Lavender Brown.

"I can't believe how lucky you are - first you snagged Fred, and now he's a Champion…" Lavender sighed. "How could things get any better for you?"

Hermione smiled tightly, and closed her curtains after giving a quick good night wave to her dorm mates and casting a silencing charm around her bed.

She took a deep breath and let out a scream of fury and desperation.

"_How could things get any worse?"_

Breathing heavily, Hermione dropped down onto her pillow and stared at the picture of her and Fred that she kept under her pillow.

The tiny Hermione looked up at her.

She looked just as terrified as the real Hermione felt.

* * *

Fred and George's popularity had merely soared in the first week after they became Champions. More than ever, Hermione thought it was going to their heads.

"How're you doing?" Harry asked quietly.

Hermione looked up at him, her face drawn, and made an effort to smile.

"Fine."

Harry just sat down beside her on the grass by the Lake. He looked at her expectantly.

"All right, I'm not fine."

He just wrapped a friendly arm around her and listened as she spilled out the story of what she'd done - and what she feared could happen.

"I'm just so scared I could lose them," Hermione finished, frantically wiping tears from her eyes.

"Fred and George are perfectly capable of looking after themselves," Harry told her firmly. "Stop blaming yourself - you did it because you knew how much they wanted to be in the contest. You've helped them begin one of their greatest dreams. Not many people can say they've done that for somebody else."

Hermione sighed and rested her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Thanks, Harry."

They rested like that for a while, until Harry sighed.

"I have to go, its almost two pm."

"Where are you going?" Hermione wondered.

Harry blushed.

"I, uh… I've got a date. In Hogsmeade."

"Really!" Hermione grinned. "With who?"

"Susan Bones," Harry said shyly.

"Oh, Susan! She's lovely, isn't she? Well, have a good time - and hurry off, you don't want to be late!" Hermione hugged Harry, and waved him off. "Now, then…"

She had a boyfriend to find. She wanted to remind him who his biggest supporter was.

* * *

"Damn those Weasley twins!" Barty Crouch screamed, throwing a vial off his desk. It smashed beautifully, and he just looked at the shards of glass for a minute, trying to calm himself down.

They had managed to ruin his brilliant plan to get Harry Potter into the TriWizard Tournament. Apparently, those dratted school kids had thought to put themselves as being from different schools - a method that paid off!

When Crouch had put Potter's name in the goblet, he had put him down as begin from Reykjavik Academy - but one of the Weasleys must have done the same thing. Then the bloody Goblet had chosen one of those freckle heads instead of Potter to represent the school that wasn't even competing...

_What were the chances?_ Barty thought angrily. _That of all the wizarding schools in the world, they had managed to choose the very one he'd used. _

Luckily for Barty, he had not yet informed his Lord of his plan of action. So his Lord would not know that Crouch had failed him so miserably…

He would just have to come up with a new plan. Something cunning, and brilliant.

When the time was right, Barty Crouch thought, he would bring Potter to his Master, with his own hands if he must, and use the boy to revive the greatest wizard of all time! Then the great Lord Voldemort would be restored to his former glory, and ascend once more to lead in the world in a great new age!

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, and took a small swig of the polyjuice he always kept in his flask. He had to stay cool, and continue playing the part of Mad-Eye Moody.

This meant he could definitely attack the Weasley twins in class tomorrow… How else would their paranoid Defense Professor choose to best prepare them for such a dangerous tournament?

Barty smirked. At least his job had perks.


End file.
